In recent years, it is known that there have been a number of important advancements that relate to the operation of binding lines. These advancements have not only typically increased the overall efficiency and quality of binding line operations but have also given flexibility to offer capabilities that were unheard of just a few years ago. In this connection, there has been a great recognition of the considerable desirability of individually printing on signatures.
To this end, there are a number of commonly owned patents that represent the significant advancements that have been made in this field. Among these are Riley et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,818, issued Oct. 24, 1978; Auksi U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,815, issued Apr. 9, 1991; and Mayer et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,337, issued Jan. 14, 1992. While these constitute significant advancements, there is yet another area where printing signatures is known to be highly desirable.
In particular, it is known that it is sometimes desirable to print on a signature as it is being moved on a binding line mail table. However, there are also certain known requirements that must be met in order to be able to do this in a commercially acceptable manner. In order to obtain the quality that is required in such printing, the signature being imaged by ink jet must be delivered in a flat condition.
In other words, high quality ink jet imaging requires a signature to be in a very nearly flat orientation as it is being printed. This must be accomplished as the signature is delivered under the ink jet head in order to achieve the quality of printing that is commercially required. Still additionally, the signature must also be prevented from shifting while it is being imaged by the ink jet head as it moves on the mail table.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the foregoing problems and achieving one or more of the resulting objects.